A Comparative Analysis Of Technology And Policy Of High-Value PV Recycling: The United States Versus The European Union

The global energy sector is amid a solar photovoltaic (PV) energy boom (International Energy Agency [IEA], 2023; Sharma et al., 2019). PV technologies are crucial for a clean energy future; however, in 2021, PV panels were the fastest growing stream of electronic waste (E-waste) (Majewski et al., 2021; Röpke, 2022). There is limited infrastructure and policy to manage End-of-Life (EoL) PV panels, and experts report that there will be an accumulated mass of 60 million to 80 million tons of EoL PV panels by 2050 (Aleid et al., 2023; Chowdhury et al., 2020; Ganesan & Valderrama, 2022; Majewski et al., 2021; Peplow, 2023). This study analyzed high-value recycling of crystalline silicon (c-Si) panels because they make up 95% of the global market (El-Khawad et al., 2022; Feldman et al., 2022; Majewski et al., 2021; Peplow, 2023). High-value PV recycling processes have been selected because they achieve higher rates of material recovery than other methods, via removal of the ethylene vinyl acetate layer (EVA), otherwise known as delamination (Chowdhury et al., 2020; Deng et al., 2022; El-Khawad et al., 2022; Ganesan & Valderrama). Three facilities performing high-value recycling of c-Si panels in the European Union (EU) and two facilities within the United States (US) were selected for comparison: Veolia of France; Tialpi Srl of Italy; FLAXRES GmbH of Germany; We Recycle Solar of Arizona; and SOLARCYCLE of Texas. The facilities were compared by handling capacity, delamination methods, and rates of recovery. PV EoL legislation was analyzed within the US, the EU, and selected states. This study found that only the EU has specific legislation addressing the PV panel lifecycle (Curtis et al., 2021; Ganesan & Valderrama, 2022).